When the royal family cry: Kate Middleton, Princess Diana and others at poignant emotional moments

The British royal family are known for their cool, calm exteriors and traditional stiff upper lip. And in general, they're a family with a lot to celebrate. Here at HELLO! we like to focus on all the happy occasions, but there are of course, as in all of our lives, more trying times. Here are a few touching moments when the our favourite royals showed they're just like the rest of us, during moments when their emotions overwhelmed.

When the Duchess of Cambridge attended a launch event for East Anglia Children's Hospices charity in November 2014, she was seen welling up as she drove away from the engagement. Kate, who was four months pregnant with Princess Charlotte, had spoken to one attendee, Leigh Smith. The pair had corresponded after Leigh sadly lost her three-month-old baby Beatrice from a rare heart condition.

Kate replied to her letter and sought Leigh out during the launch event. Physiotherapist Leigh revealed: "Kate gave me a hug just before she left. I was getting quite teary-eyed, she had tears in her eyes and she just said to me, 'You're a very brave lady and again, I'm just so, so sorry.'"

Some 22 years earlier, Princess Diana found herself in a similar situation when she visited Ashworth Hospice in Liverpool. The People's Princess, who was known for her incredible empathy, burst into tears as she left the emotional engagement.

Prince Charles' wife Camilla welled up during a visit to the Safelives Centre in London in January 2016. The Duchess spoke to victims of domestic abuse and heard from Diana Parkes, whose daughter Joanna Brown was murdered by husband Robert.

The first time Her Majesty cried in public was in December 1997 when her beloved HMY Britannia was decommissioned. It was a rare sight for fans to see the normally stoic royal shed a tear. The Queen was saying goodbye to her luxury yacht, whose costs were too great to maintain. The ship had faithfully served the royal family for over 40 years.

It was an emotional day for Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, as she attended King Harald and Queen Sonja's 75th birthday celebrations at the Oslo Opera House. Harald was born on 21 February and his wife on 4 July, but the couple had chosen to celebrate on 31 May together.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands broke down in tears as she attended a memorial service in Apeldoorn to pay tribute to those killed or injured in the horrific Queen's Day attack, which happened there the year before in April 2009.

The mother-of-three, who is never shy to show her emotions in public, attended a heartbreaking service in Eindhoven in July 2014. The bodies of the victims of the MH17 plane crash were being brought back to the Netherlands.

Queen Mathilde of Belgium paid her respects to Queen Fabiola at the funeral in 2014. She was joined by her husband King Phillipe and their four children at the service in Brussels. Fabiola was the queen consort of King Baudouin of Belgium for 33 years.

Princess Stephanie of Monaco was moved to tears as she attended the 24th International Circus Festival – an annual event in the Monegasque royal calendar. Stephanie was joining her brother Prince Albert.

Princess Martha Louise of Norway was reduced to tears as her country marked one year since the horrific 2011 Norway attacks. Anders Behring Breivik, a Norwegian right-wing extremist, killed 77 people in two attacks – a car bomb explosion in Oslo that killed eight people and the massacre of 69 people who were attending a summer camp on the island of Utøya. Among the dead was Princess Mette-Marit of Norway's stepbrother.

George's sister Princess Charlotte also had a teary moment during the 2018 Trooping the Colour ceremony. Charlotte slipped and fell, banging her head on the balcony railing. Kate, who was standing behind her three-year-old daughter, scooped her up into her arms and snuggled her close.

During the family's summer photocall in 2013, Crown Princess Mary again comforted her daughter Princess Josephine when it all got a bit too much for the two-year-old.

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Meghan Markle hasn't been a member of the royal familiy very long, but already she's been caught a little teary. For Meghan though, it was a very sweet overwhelm of emotions caused by joy, and not sadness. During her visit to Tonga a newly-pregnant Meghan got the giggles when a group of school children sang a funny song to her and husband Prince Harry, about mosquitos.